Mental Health: Why You Should Consider a Getaway On Your Own

"You went on vacation...by yourself?" This was the phrase I heard from many a friend and coworker after I got back from the most amazing trip away last week. I know lots of people have a tough time going out to eat or even to a movie by themselves, so it would logically follow that a solo trip would be that much more intimidating. But readers, here are three reasons why you should at least consider it!

It's been work work work for the first four months of this year, and I was due for a vacation, stat. My first instinct was a Caribbean getaway where I'd do plenty of lazy poolside idling and not much else. But alas, the boyfriend got too busy with his work and couldn't go with me. I didn't want to wait, so my thoughts turned in a different direction.

Those gazillion recent studies that proved sitting at your desk all day is pretty much the worst thing you can do for your health have been weighing on my soul, so I decided to splurge on a quick trip to Canyon Ranch, the famous fitness-y spa retreat, in the gorgeous Berkshires of western Massachusetts—think greenery and hills and mountains as far as the eye can see. Basically, it's a place where being active and eating healthy is a part of the deal. I swam (had the whole indoor pool all to myself—heaven), I hiked (including one eight-mile, level-5 hike up a mountain to a gorgeous waterfall that I can't stop thinking about), I did yoga, I got an amazing massage, and I just walked around, without ever worrying that I was going too fast or too slow for anyone else or choosing an activity that someone I was travelling with would rather not have done. It was just the thing I needed to get back in touch with how good it feels to emancipate yourself from your office chair and actually, you know, move your limbs around. And it feels good. You don't even have to do a fitness-y vacation to get the benefit. Any destination where you do a lot of walking or swimming or anything active will do the trick.

2. It's good for your relationship.

If you live with your significant other or spouse or you're around the person all the time, a little time away is so, so important. Each of you gets the chance to explore your separate interests (whether that's hiking or cramming in as many Yankees games as possible) and feel what it's like to miss each other again.

3. It's good for your mindset.

Don't get me wrong, I love going away on vacation with others. But going by yourself is another experience entirely. You can do whatever you feel like doing in the moment without feeling guilty or like you're inconveniencing someone else for one millisecond. During those hikes and swims I let my mind wander, or chatted with my very lovely and interesting fellow hikers (hi, Melanie and Sue!). During my less active moments I devoured a good book (If you're curious I read The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe. Think Mad Men meets* Sex and the City*—it was published in 1956, but you'd be surprised at how well the writing holds up today). But my time was mine alone, and I can think of few experiences as rejuvenating as that.

So, have you ever traveled by yourself? Would you want to? Why or why not? I want to hear about your experiences, so tell me in the comments!